Officials: Man who helped ex-cons sent to prison

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — Officials say a registered Michigan sex offender who edited a newsletter for a nonprofit that helps ex-convicts re-enter society has been sentenced to prison.

The Kalamazoo Gazette reports 67-year-old Thomas P. Kennedy of Kalamazoo was sentenced Tuesday in Kalamazoo County Circuit Court to 18 months to 7 years for using a computer to commit a crime and one to 4 years in prison for possession of child sexually abusive material.

Kennedy pleaded guilty to the charges, which stem from possession of DVDs. He’s listed on the sex offender registry for 1990 second-degree criminal sexual conduct convictions.

He told the court at sentencing that he ordered the material. Defense lawyer Jeffrey Dufon had asked that Kennedy not be sent to prison, saying the images didn’t depict sex acts.